The Crisis in a Nutshell: Changing Leadership

“I’m not recommending for every future President that they take a shellacking like they—like I did last night.” —President Barack Obama

“This isn’t a reason for Republicans to gloat; rather, it’s a time for both parties to realize who’s really in charge—the people—and to be grateful for the opportunity we now have to begin to turn this ship around.” —Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader

“The American public expects us to work together…. Simply saying ‘no,’ as we’ve had in the past, won’t bring jobs back.” —Harry Reid, the Democratic Senator for Nevada

“Isn’t it incumbent on the president to accept that this is a midcourse correction? And doesn’t John Boehner, for the moment, speak for more Americans than Obama?” —Newt Gingrich

“If you think what happened in Delaware is ‘a win’ for the Republican Party, then we don’t have a snowball’s chance to win the White House.” —Lindsey Graham, a Republican Senator from South Carolina

“Sarah Palin cost us control of the Senate.” —Spencer Bachus, a Republican congressman from Alabama

“Republican insiders are trying to figure out now how to stop Sarah Palin.” —Rush Limbaugh

“With all due candor, appearing on your own reality show on the Discovery Channel, I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of ‘that helps me see you in the Oval Office’.” —Karl Rove

“The people of Iowa defined marriage as between one man and one woman, and activist judges wrongly attempted to undermine that.” —Tim Pawlenty, the governor of Minnesota

“When you suffer a defeat as big as we have, you have to change something. And often you have to change the person who led you in that direction.” —Gregory Meeks, a Democratic congressman for New York

“While we commend your years of service to our party and your leadership through many tough times, we respectfully ask that you step aside as the top Democrat in the House.” —letter to Nancy Pelosi from “Defeated Members”

“You know, sometimes in this business it’s difficult to know when to move on.” —Albio Sires, a Democratic congressman from New Jersey

“I’ll have a conversation with my caucus, I’ll have a conversation with my family, and pray over it, and decide how to go forward.” —Nancy Pelosi, the current Speaker of the House

“Tea party Republicans were elected to go to Washington and save the country—not be co-opted by the club. So put on your boxing gloves. The fight begins today.” —Jim DeMint, a Republican Senator for South Carolina

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